under the page's title to be notified of any updates!
This survey will take about 1 minute.
Your answers will help us to improve our website.
Nioh 3
Best Axe Build
This is a guide to the best build for Axe in Nioh 3. See the best armor and accessories to use with the Axe, which Guardian Spirit and Soul Cores to equip, as well as which stats to level up.
List of Contents
Attention! |
The following builds are currently based on early-game content. We are working on improving them as information becomes available.
|
|---|
Axe Strengths and Weaknesses
| Strengths | Weaknesses |
|---|---|
| ✔︎ High burst damage and strong single-hit attacks
✔︎ Good for staggering enemies and breaking defenses |
✖︎ Slow attacks and limited mobility
✖︎ High Ki consumption for strong attacks and combos |
The Axe excels at delivering high burst damage and staggering enemies with strong single-hit attacks, making it ideal for taking down elite foes or breaking enemy defenses.
However, its slow speed and limited mobility make positioning important, and strong attacks consume a lot of Ki, so managing your Ki and timing your combos is essential to avoid being left vulnerable.
Best Stats for Axe
| Axe Scaling |
|---|
 Constitution  Stamina  Strength |
| Character Stats |
 Magic  Heart |
Prioritize Stamina, as it provides the largest increase to melee attack power while also allowing you to wear heavier armor for better defense. Allocate secondary points into Constitution and Strength to increase Life, improve Ki damage, and enable certain Special Effects that require these stats.
Invest in Magic only enough to equip the recommended Soul Cores for this build, while remaining points can be placed into Heart to improve Ki and Ki Recovery Speed, which are especially important due to the Axe’s high Ki consumption.
Best Special Effects for Axe
| Jump to Section! | |
|---|---|
| Weapon | Armor |
| Accessories | |
Best Special Effects for Weapons
| Common Special Effects | |
|---|---|
| ・Ki Recovery Speed
・High Attack Damage ・High Attack Ki Consumption ・High Stance Martial Art Ki Consumption ・Strong Attack Ki Damage ・Melee Attack Ki Consumption |
|
| Fixed Special Effects | |
| ・High Attack Damage (Wooden Harmer)
・Spirit Force Bonus (Status Ailment) (Ryomen Sukuna's Axe) |
|
You may use any equipment that has one or two of the special effects listed above.
This build focuses on utilizing the Axe’s Strong Attacks and Martial Arts for maximum damage, which consume a large amount of Ki. Prioritize Special Effects that improve Ki management, such as Ki Recovery Speed and reduced Ki Consumption, to maintain offensive pressure.
Additionally, increase your offensive potential by selecting Special Effects that boost Attack Damage and Ki Damage, particularly those that enhance High Stance and Strong Attacks.
Best Special Effects for Armor
| Common Special Effects | |
|---|---|
| ・Ki Recovery Speed
・Ki Pulse Recovery ・High Stance Martial Art Ki Consumption ・Strong Attack Ki Consumption ・Toughness ・Defense |
|
| Fixed Special Effects | |
| ・Warrior of the East's Honor (Warrior of the East Set)
・First of the Four Guardians (Brave Demon Hunter Set) |
|
You may use any equipment that has one or two of the special effects listed above.
Due to the Axe’s slow but powerful moveset, attacks can often leave you open after committing to a swing. Focus on adding more Ki recovery effects so you have enough Ki to guard or dodge when needed, while also including defensive effects, as these are equally crucial for survivability.
For armor, consider equipping two pieces of the Warrior of the East Set or three pieces of the Brave Demon Hunter Set, as both provide set bonuses that grant significant Martial Arts Damage, which is crucial for maximizing the Axe’s powerful moveset.
Best Special Effects for Accessories
| Common Special Effects | |
|---|---|
| ・Ki Recovery Speed
・Water Damage ・Lightning Damage ・Untouched Elixirs ・Life Recovery (Yokai Realm) |
|
| Fixed Special Effects | |
| ・Ki Recovery Speed (Fan)
・Effect Duration (Writing Set) |
|
You may use any equipment that has one or two of the special effects listed above.
To maximize the Onmyo Magic for this build, take Special Effects that boost Elemental Damage and Effect Duration. Include standard effects for Ki management, along with complementary effects such as Untouched Elixirs, which give you a chance not to consume an Elixir on use, and Life Recovery (Yokai Realm) for passive healing while inside a Yokai Realm.
Best Martial Arts for Axe
| Jump to Section! | |
|---|---|
| Axe Martial Arts | Samurai Martial Arts |
| Crucible Arts | |
Where to Spend Samurai Points?
Spend your Samurai Points to unlock the High and Low stances in the Samurai tree first, as these are required to access their corresponding movesets in the Axe tree.
Axe Martial Arts
| Skills | Requirements |
|---|---|
| Rage | 2 Samurai Points
Prerequisite: ・Low Stance ・The Adamantine |
| Battle Focus | 3 Samurai Points
Prerequisite: ・Low Stance ・The Adamantine ・Rage |
| Rumbling Earth II | 1 Samurai Point
Prerequisite: ・Mad Spinner ・Rumbling Earth |
| Titanic Strength | 1 Samurai Points
Prerequisite: ・Mad Spinner |
| Fang Toss (High/Low Stance) |
1 Samurai Point
Prerequisite: ・Low Stance ・Cloud Crush |
| Retreating Axe | 3 Samurai Points
Prerequisite: ・Low Stance ・Cloud Crush ・Fang Toss |
This Axe build is designed around raw power and dealing heavy melee damage. Prioritize acquiring buffs such as Rage, which increases your Attack at the cost of higher Ki consumption. Alternatively, if you prefer longer combos and better Ki control during offense, take Battle Focus, as it reduces Attack Ki consumption while increasing Dodge Ki consumption.
Rumbling Earth II will be your highest damaging move. It is a long charge attack that can leave you open if used carelessly, but with proper positioning and timing, it can one-shot regular enemies and deal significant damage to bosses.
Titanic Strength is a great follow-up to a Strong Attack, while Fang Toss allows you to attack enemies from mid-range. For defense, Retreating Axe is a strong complementary Martial Art, as it lets you leap backward to avoid incoming attacks while still dealing damage.
Samurai Martial Arts
| Martial Arts | Requirements |
|---|---|
| Low Stance | 1 Samurai Point |
| High Stance | 1 Samurai Point |
| Deflect | 1 Samurai Point |
| Flux II | 1 Samurai Point
Prerequisite: ・High Stance ・Low Stance ・Flux |
| Frost Moon: Heaven | 1 Samurai Point
Prerequisite: ・High Stance ・Low Stance ・Flux ・Flux II ・The Way of the Warrior: Novice |
Unlock the High and Low Stances to access the Axe's most powerful movesets. Complement your heavy attacks with Flux II and Frost Moon: Heaven, which are crucial for recovering Ki while switching stances and turning your Ki Pulse into an offensive follow-up.
Deflect enables parrying, making it important to use when wielding a high Ki-consuming weapon like the Axe, as parrying does not consume Ki.
Crucible Arts
| Tornado Edge | Wield the axe in one hand and mow down a large area. |
|---|
Tornado Edge performs wide spinning slashes while moving forward, hitting enemies around you and dealing significant damage. This is a great complementary Martial Art, providing an additional offensive option for crowd control, as most other moves in this build focus on taking down individual foes.
Best Skills for Axe
Secret Skills Text
| Secret Skill | Effects |
|---|---|
| Attack Mastery II | Increases Attack by 12. |
| Running Water | Enables you to perform a Ki Pulse by dodging. |
| Oppressive Strength | Prevents you from being staggered during Strong Attacks and Martial Arts while Arts Proficiency is active. |
| Awakening | Allows you to use Onmyo Magic faster. |
The listed skills strengthen the Axe’s playstyle by improving both damage output and consistency during combat. Attack Mastery II provides a direct increase to Attack, while Oppressive Strength allows your offense to connect more reliably during active Arts Proficiency.
Awakening complements the build by allowing Talismans to be used faster, making it easier to apply elemental effects during combat. Additionally, Running Water is a staple skill that turns your dodge into a Ki Pulse, which is essential for regaining Ki while maneuvering away from danger.
Best Guardian Spirits for Axe
Use Kusanagi as Guardian Spirit
| Kusanagi | ATK | DEF | Element |
|---|---|---|---|
|
12 | 7 | Fire |
| Quest | |||
| Unlocked at the start | |||
| Special Effects | |||
|
・Martial Art Damage +6.3%
・Fire Damage Reduction +13 ・Ki Pulse Recovery +10.8% ・Increased Arts Proficiency Damage +6.9% ・Spirit Force Charge (Martial Art) +11.0% |
|||
| Guardian Spirit Skill | |||
| ・Heaven's Fire (Spirit Force: 40) | |||
Kusanagi pairs well with this Axe build, as it boosts Martial Arts and Arts Proficiency Damage, increasing the offensive power of the Axe’s attacks. It also provides useful effects such as Ki Pulse Recovery, Fire Damage Reduction, and Spirit Force Charge, enhancing both damage output and survivability.
Use Guhin as Alternative
| Guhin | ATK | DEF | Element |
|---|---|---|---|
|
10 | 10 | Wind |
| Quest | |||
| Unlocked at the start | |||
| Special Effects | |||
|
・Martial Arts Ki Consumption -8.4%
・Damage Taken -4.2% ・Strong Attack Break +11.0% ・Faster Winded Recovery ・Melee Damage vs Winded Enemy +8.4% |
|||
| Guardian Spirit Skill | |||
| ・Eight-Handed Blade (Spirit Force: 40) | |||
Guhin is a great alternative if you don’t have Kusanagi, as its effects like reduced Martial Arts Ki Consumption, increased Strong Attack Break, and bonus damage against Winded enemies are highly beneficial for this Axe build. It also provides defensive support with reduced Damage Taken and Faster Winded Recovery.
Best Soul Cores for Axe
Use Jakotsu-baba Soul Core for Yang and Yin
| Jakotsu-baba Soul Core | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Yang Position | Special Effects:
・Water Damage +4.4% ・Auto-Grave Recovery +17.0% Yokai Ability: ・Summoning Seal: Jakotsu-baba x2 |
| Yin Position | Talisman:
・Water Familiar Talisman x4 |
You can obtain multiple Jakotsu-baba Soul Cores by replaying the Crucible Manifested mission from the Battle Scroll and defeating Jakotsu-baba again, allowing you to equip it in both Yang and Yin Positions if desired.
For the Yang Position, Jakotsu-baba provides a Water Damage bonus, which further strengthens the Water Familiar Talisman used in the Yin Position. When summoned, Jakotsu-baba creates ice spikes from the ground and exhales a flame breath, dealing both water and fire damage to enemies caught in the attack.
For the Yin Position, Jakotsu-baba’s Water Familiar Talisman summons water orbs that deal Water Damage to nearby enemies, inflicting Saturated status and increasing the damage they take. This enhances the Axe’s offensive potential by making enemies more vulnerable to heavy attacks.
Use Mikoshi Nyudo Soul Core for Yin
| Mikoshi Nyudo Soul Core | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Yang Position | Special Effects:
・Melee Damage vs. Electrified Enemy +6.0% Yokai Ability: ・Summoning Seal: Mikoshi Nyudo x3 |
| Yin Position | Talisman:
・Lightning Shot Talisman x6 |
Mikoshi Nyudo’s Lightning Shot Talisman deals Lightning Damage and inflicts Electrified status, slowing enemy movements. Pairing it with another status effect, such as Saturated, will trigger Confusion, further increasing the damage enemies take.
Axe Tips and Tricks
Focus on Strong Attacks
The Axe excels at dealing high burst damage through Strong Attacks. Most of your offensive pressure will come from heavy, committed swings that stagger enemies and break defenses. Prioritize Special Effects that reduce Ki consumption and increase Ki recovery to maintain a steady flow of attacks without running out of Ki.
Utilize Martial Arts Buffs
Take buffs such as Rage to increase Attack at the cost of higher Ki consumption, or Battle Focus to reduce Attack Ki cost for longer combos. Buffs amplify the Axe’s raw power and allow you to apply pressure efficiently against bosses and elite enemies.
Spend Your Prestige Points to Get Bonuses
Prestige Points can be used to obtain permanent bonuses (known as Prestige) to enhance a variety of stats from 9 different categories. For this Axe build, we suggest using your points on some of the following Prestige:
- Samurai: Melee Attack Ki Consumption, Martial Art Ki Damage
- Tactics: Ki Recovery Speed, Onmyo Magic Power
- Subjugation: Amrita Earned, Damage Taken (Ki Depleted)
- Formidable Enemies: Melee Ki Damage, Melee Damage vs. Winded Enemy
- Exploration: Medicine Efficacy
- Collection: Martial Art Damage
Take note that the Prestige Points you've spent can be reset and redistributed to another bonus within the same category.
How to Get Prestige Points?
To get more Prestige Points for a category, fulfill a milestone or complete challenges to earn Titles. To see the available Titles you can unlock, open the Main Menu then go to Titles > Title List.
Nioh 3 Related Guides
All Samurai Builds
| Samurai Weapons | ||
|---|---|---|
 Swords |
 Dual Swords |
 Spears |
 Axes |
 Odachi |
 Switchglaives |
 Cestesus |
||
All Ninja Builds
| Ninja Weapons | ||
|---|---|---|
 Ninja Swords |
 Dual Ninja Swords |
 Kusarigama |
 Tonfa |
 Hatchets |
 Splitstaff |
 Talons |
||
Comment
Author
Best Axe Build
Please participate in our site
improvement survey
02/2026
improvement survey
02/2026
Would you assist in
improving Game8's site?
improving Game8's site?
×
We are listening to our users' valuable opinions and discussing how to act on them.
The information collected through this survey will be used for the purpose of improving our services. In addition, the information will only be disclosed a part of a statistic in a format that will not allow identification of personal information.
Begin Survey
Not Now
×
Please rate each item regarding Game8.co's Advertisements.
Amount of Ads
Very Dissatisfied
Somewhat Dissatisfied
Fine
Somewhat Satisfied
Highly Satisfied
Placement of Ads
Timing of Ad Display
Ad Loading Speed
Safeness of Ads
Content of Ads
×
Please rate each item regarding Game8.co's Quality of Articles.
Amount of information
Very Dissatisfied
Somewhat Dissatisfied
Fine
Somewhat Satisfied
Highly Satisfied
Frequency of updates
Speed of new information
Accuracy of articles
Understandibility of articles
Readability of sentences
×
Please rate each item regarding Game8.co's Usability of the Site.
Ease of finding information
Very Dissatisfied
Somewhat Dissatisfied
Fine
Somewhat Satisfied
Highly Satisfied
Loading Speed
Use of Color
Font Size
Visibility of Images
Easy to Understand Layout
×
Please rate each item regarding Game8.co's Message Boards, Comments.
Ease of Writing
Very Dissatisfied
Somewhat Dissatisfied
Fine
Somewhat Satisfied
Highly Satisfied
Readability
Ease in Finding Information
Comment Quality
Comment Quantity
Admin Response
×
Please rate each item regarding Game8.co's Site's new design.
Please rate our site's new design
Very Dissatisfied
Somewhat Dissatisfied
Fine
Somewhat Satisfied
Highly Satisfied
Do you think that the website's design change makes the site easier to use?
Has the new design made it easier for you to find information on the site?
Has the new design improved the overall visual appeal of the site?
How would you rate your overall satisfaction with the new design of the site?
×
How likely are you to recommend Game8 to someone you know?
Very Unlikely
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Very Likely
If you have other opinions regarding potential improvement to the website, please share them with us. We would appreciate your honest opinion.
Note: This is a free response section, so you can proceed without entering anything.
Note: Please be sure not to enter any kind of personal information into your response.
Note: Please be sure not to enter any kind of personal information into your response.
×
Thank You
×
Thank you for participating in our survey! Your answers will help us to improve the quality of our website and services.
We hope you continue to make use of Game8.
We hope you continue to make use of Game8.
Close
Rankings
Gaming News
![MENACE Review [Early Access] | Menacing, But Only at the Start](https://img.game8.co/4406385/400fc86faf7e41a4a05455d432d4d303.png/show)
Popular Games
Genshin Impact Walkthrough & Guides Wiki
Arknights: Endfield Walkthrough & Guides Wiki
Honkai: Star Rail Walkthrough & Guides Wiki
Wuthering Waves Walkthrough & Guides Wiki
Umamusume: Pretty Derby Walkthrough & Guides Wiki
Zenless Zone Zero Walkthrough & Guides Wiki
Pokemon TCG Pocket (PTCGP) Strategies & Guides Wiki
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Walkthrough & Guides Wiki
Digimon Story: Time Stranger Walkthrough & Guides Wiki
Where Winds Meet Walkthrough & Guides Wiki
Recommended Games
Fire Emblem Heroes (FEH) Walkthrough & Guides Wiki
Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred Walkthrough & Guides Wiki
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Walkthrough & Guides Wiki
Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel Walkthrough & Guides Wiki
Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl (BDSP) Walkthrough & Guides Wiki
Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree Walkthrough & Guides Wiki
Monster Hunter World Walkthrough & Guides Wiki
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Walkthrough & Guides Wiki
Persona 3 Reload Walkthrough & Guides Wiki
Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition Walkthrough & Guides Wiki
All rights reserved
©KOEI TECMO GAMES CO., LTD. All rights reserved.
The copyrights of videos of games used in our content and other intellectual property rights belong to the provider of the game.
The contents we provide on this site were created personally by members of the Game8 editorial department.
We refuse the right to reuse or repost content taken without our permission such as data or images to other sites.